The Stream, December 26: China’s Big Desalination Plans

China has revealed plans to boost its desalination capacity to produce 2.2 million cubic meters (77.6 million cubic feet) of fresh water each day by 2015, Xinhua reported. The plan also calls for more than 15 percent of the water supply delivered to coastal factories to come from desalinated sea water by 2015.

Winter Storms
Cold, rainy weather is exacerbating poor humanitarian conditions for Syrian refugees, according to AlertNet. The freezing temperatures, along with water shortages and sanitation problems, have some refugees saying that life is no better in the camps than it was back home.

Strong winter storms across the southern and central United States have already killed three people and created rare winter tornadoes and hazardous traveling conditions, the Associated Press reported. Now, the storms are headed for the country’s Northeast.

Climate Change
Unsettling temperature observations at West Antarctica’s Byrd research station are raising concerns about sea level rise, AlertNet reported, citing a new study. Average annual temperatures there have increased 2.4 degrees Celsius since the 1950s.

Abrupt changes in Africa’s climate over relatively short periods of time may have spurred the evolution of humans more than 2 million years ago, according to a paper recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, The Telegraph reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek